The invention relates to a cutter for dividing, particularly for cutting or atomising processed products using ultrasound energy as well as a device with at least one such cutter.
In numerous industrial applications, particularly in the food industry, products need to be provided with predetermined dimensions. E.g., portions of meat, sausages or cheese need to be provided as individual units or partitioned in slices. For this purpose, cutting devices, e.g. drives with rotating cutting discs are provided, which are guided with high chopping frequencies towards the products, in order to execute the required cuts. Devices of this kind require considerable efforts for manufacturing, for operation and for maintenance. The rotation of the cutting discs, which frequently need to be sharpened, causes a massive impact on the material, so that particles are split off and ejected thus causing a contamination of the device.
Furthermore, the cutting discs and the related operating parameters need to be adapted to the processed product, wherefore the field of application is limited or an individual control needs to be implemented. E.g., if soft bread shall be cut, then a high rotation speed is required, so that the bread is not compressed during the application of the cut. Furthermore the rotating cutting discs, together with the drive devices, require a lot of space, so that in view of the applied means, including the required facilities, a low efficiency results. Furthermore, products with large dimensions entail specific demands to the cutting device. Possibly the cutting disc needs to be guided along a path, in order to execute a desired cut with the required length.
Further, cutting devices are known from prior art with a cutter that is connected via an energy converter to a wave generator that provides electrical AC voltage with a frequency in the ultrasound region. The energy converter, which typically comprises piezo-electric elements, converts the electrical energy into mechanical energy, which causes a vibration of the cutter.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,468,203A (DE1561733A1) discloses a cutting device with a vibration device screwed to the back of a relatively small cutter, wherein the application of sound waves causes the cutter to vibrate.
DE 10314444 A1 discloses a device for cutting a product with a cutter that is axially pre-tensioned and that is connected to a piezo-electric actuator that introduces longitudinal waves into the cutter. Further, a wave generator, which generates transversal waves, is coupled to the cutter. Hence, this device requires at least two wave generators, in order to reach the desired effect of the cutter. In order to reach the desired effect, the wave generators need to be positioned accordingly, thus requiring correspondingly large space and reducing the potential applications of the cutter.
A further cutter that is designed for surgical applications and that is connected to a vibration device is known from WO2008148139A1. With this cutter mechanical vibrations with amplitudes from 0.0001 mm to 1 mm occur.
For larger cutters correspondingly larger and more complex vibration devices are required.
Further, in industrial processes, e.g. in the pharmaceutical industry or the food industry, often the necessity exists, to provide powdery materials evenly distributed to a receiver. E.g., the material needs to be added to a solid or liquid product, whereby lump formation shall be avoided. Furthermore, often different powdery substances need to be mixed evenly, which is reached by using mixers and stirrers often with considerable effort and a long process time only.